Bound By A Broken Night novel Chapter 3

I cast one last look at the home that had been mine for twenty-two years—the Knowles household.

A place where I had spent my entire life trying to belong. Trying to earn a family I could truly call my own.

Today, I was leaving it all behind.

Every memory—good and bad. Every silent hope. Every effort that had gone unseen.

Not because I had finally graduated and wanted to explore the world. Not because I was brave enough to choose freedom.

But because I had been thrown away. Disowned by my own father.

“What now, Cassie?” I whispered to myself as I turned toward the empty road ahead.

The familiar path stretched before me—the same one I had walked countless times, the one that always led me back home. The sight of it only made the weight in my chest grow heavier.

Will I ever walk this path again?

The answer came before I could finish the thought.

No.

A painful lump rose in my throat, tightening until it hurt to breathe. I let out a long, shaky sigh, filling my lungs with fresh air. Then, with trembling resolve, I took my first step away from the only home I had ever known.

Unlike every other day, I wouldn’t be coming back when night fell.

This time, I was leaving with nothing but an uncertain road ahead—and empty pockets to match.

A bitter smile tugged at my lips as I followed the path forward, my vision blurring once more. Tears spilled freely from my already swollen eyes, streaking down my cheeks no matter how hard I tried to stop them.

“Will you stop already?” I muttered to myself, scolding my tears with a broken little chuckle.

I didn’t want to feel miserable. But standing there—abandoned, alone, and walking away from everything I had ever known—I couldn’t pretend I wasn’t.

I had been walking for so long that the road felt endless—either it truly stretched farther than it ever had before, or my steps had simply grown too heavy to carry me forward without effort. Each movement felt like wading through invisible weight, my legs aching, my chest tight.

I was so lost in my misery that I startled when a figure suddenly appeared in front of me. I stopped short, nearly losing my balance as my feet skidded against the pavement.

For a moment, I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me.

I had begged him earlier—pleaded for just a conversation—but he had brushed me off without a second glance. And yet here he was now, standing in my path, wearing the same cold, unreadable expression I had come to know too well.

“At last, you left,” he muttered, his gaze dropping briefly to the suitcase I was dragging behind me.

I smiled—or at least, I tried to. It must have come out as bitter as everything else I felt inside.

“I know I’ve done something unforgivable,” I said softly, the words scraping my throat as they came out. “But I was hoping… maybe you’d reconsider helping me. Just this once. For the sake of our friendship.”

“I don’t want to help you.”

He shrugged, casual and detached, as if my world hadn’t just collapsed.

That nonchalance hurt more than his words ever could. It felt like a final confirmation—that whatever we once had, however small it was to begin with, meant nothing now.

“I’ve learned that already,” I nodded, forcing my lips into something that barely resembled a smile. My face felt stiff.

"But still… I believe I owe you an explanation.”

I drew in a deep breath, forcing air into my lungs, trying to ease the crushing weight in my chest.

This was the man I had admired from a distance for so many years—the one I had never dared to hope for. I had been content with the smallest scraps of his attention, the brief glances and passing words he offered whenever he visited Mirriam. Back then, that had been enough.

Now, all I saw was cold distance in his eyes as he looked at me.

Hatred. It pierced straight through my soul.

“No need,” he dismissed flatly.

I had no reply. I bit down on my lip, hard, holding back the tears I had fought so desperately to keep at bay.

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